Visual Interactive Voice Response

ABSTRACT

A method includes connecting a call from a client device to a destination having an interactive voice response service; transcribing audio from the destination during the call to identify menu options of the interactive voice response service; generating visualizations representing the menu options; and outputting the visualizations to a display associated with the client device. A system includes a telephony system, an automatic speech recognition processing tool, and a visualization output generation tool. The telephony system connects a call from a client device to a destination having an interactive voice response service. The automatic speech recognition processing tool transcribes audio from the destination during the call to identify menu options of the interactive voice response service. The visualization output generation tool generates visualizations representing the menu options. The telephony system outputs the visualizations to a display associated with the client device.

BACKGROUND

Enterprise entities rely upon several modes of communication to supporttheir operations, including telephone, email, internal messaging, andthe like. These separate modes of communication have historically beenimplemented by service providers whose services are not integrated withone another. The disconnect between these services, in at least somecases, requires information to be manually passed by users from oneservice to the next. Furthermore, some services, such as telephonyservices, are traditionally delivered via on-premises solutions, meaningthat remote workers and those who are generally increasingly mobile maybe unable to rely upon them. One solution is by way of a unifiedcommunications as a service (UCaaS) platform, which includes severalcommunications services integrated over a network, such as the Internet,to deliver a complete communication experience regardless of physicallocation.

SUMMARY

Disclosed herein are, inter alia, implementations of systems andtechniques for displaying visual interactive voice response menuoptions.

One aspect of this disclosure is a method, which includes connecting acall from a client device to a destination having an interactive voiceresponse service, transcribing audio from the destination during thecall to identify menu options of the interactive voice response service,generating visualizations representing the menu options, and outputtingthe visualizations to a display associated with the client device.

Another aspect of this disclosure is a system, which includes atelephony system, an automatic speech recognition processing tool, and avisualization output generation tool. The telephony system is configuredto connect a call from a client device to a destination having aninteractive voice response service and to output visualizationsrepresenting menu options of the interactive voice response service to adisplay associated with the client device. The automatic speechrecognition processing tool is configured to transcribe audio from thedestination during the call to identify the menu options. Thevisualization output generation tool is configured to generate thevisualizations representing the menu options.

Another aspect of this disclosure is an apparatus including a memory anda processor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory toconnect a call from a client device to a destination having aninteractive voice response service, route audio from the destinationduring the call to a first tool configured to transcribe audio from thedestination, receive visualizations representing menu options of theinteractive voice response service from a second tool configured togenerate the visualizations, and output the visualizations to a displayassociated with the client device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

This disclosure is best understood from the following detaileddescription when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Itis emphasized that, according to common practice, the various featuresof the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of thevarious features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of an electronic computing andcommunications system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example internal configuration of acomputing device of an electronic computing and communications system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a software platformimplemented by an electronic computing and communications system.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system to display interactive voiceresponse menu options.

FIG. 5A is a flow diagram of a system to display interactive voiceresponse menu options.

FIG. 5B is a flow diagram of an alternate system to display interactivevoice response menu options.

FIG. 5C is a flow diagram of another alternate system to displayinteractive voice response menu options.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a technique performed by a telephony system forreceiving an audio stream and displaying interactive voice response menuoptions.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a technique performed by a client device forreceiving interactive voice response menu options.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an alternate technique performed by a telephonysystem for receiving an audio stream and displaying interactive voiceresponse menu options.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an alternate technique performed by a clientdevice for receiving interactive voice response menu options.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example of a technique for displayinginteractive voice response menu options.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

When an operator of a client device (e.g., a mobile device, a physicalphone, or a computer) makes a call, the call is received by a telephonysystem. In some cases, the telephony system may present an interactivevoice response (IVR) menu including options (e.g., press 1 for sales, 2for support, etc.) for selection by the caller, such as to route thecall to an appropriate party. Traditionally, the IVR menu options areaudibly communicated to the caller via a handset or speaker of theclient device. However, callers often forget some or all of the menuoptions and may need the menu to be repeated before they identify theresponse to enter. In some cases, a menu option may be inaudible or readby the recording in a strange way such that the caller erroneouslyignores or misinterprets it.

One approach to address these issues with a traditional IVR service isto visually present the IVR menu options to the caller. For example, theclient device from which a call is placed may include a display, andvisualizations of the menu options may be output for viewing by thecaller at the display. However, existing solutions which use visual IVRrequire pre-population of the IVR menu options within a data store. Thenduring a call, those pre-populated IVR menu options are retrieved fromthe data store and processed to cause the visualizations at the displayof the caller's device.

Implementations of this disclosure address problems such as these byconnecting a call from a client device to a destination having aninteractive voice response service; transcribing audio from thedestination to identify menu options of the interactive voice responseservice; generating visualizations representing the menu options; andoutputting the visualizations to a display associated with the clientdevice. As used herein, the term “destination” includes, but is notlimited to, a service being called by the client device and any hardwareused to implement the service.

A telephony system creates a visualization of an IVR menu which can beoutput to a display available to a caller. A process (e.g., a real-timetranscription process, such as an “automated speech recognition” (ASR)process which performs natural language processing against speech in oneor more languages) listens to audio coming through the call from eitherend (i.e., from the telephony system or from the caller). It is notedthat while the description refers to an “ASR process” or “ASRprocessing,” the operation of embodiments and implementations wouldremain the same if another real-time transcription process wereperformed. The ASR process generates a display of the IVR menu optionsbased on the transcription of audio sent from the destination called bythe caller to a device of the caller. For example, when an operatorplaces a call through a telephony system, the telephony system locatesthe service connected to the number and performs a real-timetranscription to determine what is being said in an IVR menu option. Thetelephony system then sends a signal to display that informationvisually to the caller at their client device (e.g., a visual promptrepresenting text corresponding to the IVR menu option). The same wouldapply if the call is outside of the telephony system (e.g., to anexternal telephony system), such as where the call goes through thetelephony system to connect to the external telephony system, which mayhave its own IVR system. The telephony system in such a case would actas an intermediary to translate the audible IVR to display it visuallyfor the caller. In one use case, the client device is registered withthe telephony system and/or a software platform associated therewith,for example, a UCaaS platform.

In some cases, where the client device is a non-video-enabled phone(e.g., a desktop phone), the visual properties could be extended to asecondary device associated with the same caller (e.g., as known to thetelephony system). For example, a channel can be opened with avideo-enabled device registered with the caller responsive to adetermination that the device from which the call is placed is notvideo-enabled.

In a use case, the call is routed through an external telephony systemand the audio stream is received by the telephony system. The telephonysystem listens to all of the audio stream, and sends the audio stream tothe client device together with the IVR menu options for display. In oneimplementation, the IVR prompt information is returned through theexternal telephony system to the client device and the client devicethen sends the audio stream to the telephony system for natural languageprocessing, and the IVR menu options are returned to the client devicefor display. In this way, the client device operates as an intermediarybetween the telephony system and the external telephony system. In oneimplementation, a channel can be created directly between the telephonysystem and the external telephony system so that the client device isnot used as an intermediary. This would be useful where the clientdevice is not registered with telephony system, but calls into adestination with IVR, and where the call maintains access to theexternal telephony system.

In a use case, a similar transcription process may be used to provide avideo of the visualized IVR menu options. The endpoint display of theclient device may still show text options or buttons so the caller doesnot have to memorize the IVR menu options. In some such cases, athreshold check may be performed to determine if the client device isvideo-enabled before sending a video-based version of the IVR menuoptions.

To describe some implementations in greater detail, reference is firstmade to examples of hardware and software structures used to implement avisual IVR system. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of anelectronic computing and communications system 100, which can be orinclude a distributed computing system (e.g., a client-server computingsystem), a cloud computing system, a clustered computing system, or thelike.

The system 100 includes one or more customers, such as customers 102Athrough 102B, which may each be a public entity, private entity, oranother corporate entity or individual that purchases or otherwise usessoftware services, such as of a UCaaS platform provider. Each customercan include one or more clients. For example, as shown and withoutlimitation, the customer 102A can include clients 104A through 104B, andthe customer 102B can include clients 104C through 104D. A customer caninclude a customer network or domain. For example, and withoutlimitation, the clients 104A through 104B can be associated orcommunicate with a customer network or domain for the customer 102A andthe clients 104C through 104D can be associated or communicate with acustomer network or domain for the customer 102B.

A client, such as one of the clients 104A through 104D, may be orotherwise refer to one or both of a client device or a clientapplication. Where a client is or refers to a client device, the clientcan comprise a computing system, which can include one or more computingdevices, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, anotebook computer, a desktop computer, or another suitable computingdevice or combination of computing devices. Where a client instead is orrefers to a client application, the client can be an instance ofsoftware running on a customer device (e.g., a client device or anotherdevice). In some implementations, a client can be implemented as asingle physical unit or as a combination of physical units. In someimplementations, a single physical unit can include multiple clients.

The system 100 can include a number of customers and/or clients or canhave a configuration of customers or clients different from thatgenerally illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, and without limitation,the system 100 can include hundreds or thousands of customers, and atleast some of the customers can include or be associated with a numberof clients.

The system 100 includes a datacenter 106, which may include one or moreservers. The datacenter 106 can represent a geographic location, whichcan include a facility, where the one or more servers are located. Thesystem 100 can include a number of datacenters and servers or caninclude a configuration of datacenters and servers different from thatgenerally illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, and without limitation,the system 100 can include tens of datacenters, and at least some of thedatacenters can include hundreds or another suitable number of servers.In some implementations, the datacenter 106 can be associated orcommunicate with one or more datacenter networks or domains, which caninclude domains other than the customer domains for the customers 102Athrough 102B.

The datacenter 106 includes servers used for implementing softwareservices of a UCaaS platform. The datacenter 106 as generallyillustrated includes an application server 108, a database server 110,and telephony server 112. The servers 108 through 112 can each be acomputing system, which can include one or more computing devices, suchas a desktop computer, a server computer, or another computer capable ofoperating as a server, or a combination thereof. A suitable number ofeach of the servers 108 through 112 can be implemented at the datacenter106. The UCaaS platform uses a multi-tenant architecture in whichinstallations or instantiations of the servers 108 through 112 is sharedamongst the customers 102A through 102B.

In some implementations, one or more of the servers 108 through 112 canbe a non-hardware server implemented on a physical device, such as ahardware server. In some implementations, a combination of two or moreof the application server 108, the database server 110, and thetelephony server 112 can be implemented as a single hardware server oras a single non-hardware server implemented on a single hardware server.In some implementations, the datacenter 106 can include servers otherthan or in addition to the servers 108 through 112, for example, a mediaserver, a proxy server, or a web server.

The application server 108 runs web-based software services deliverableto a client, such as one of the clients 104A through 104D. As describedabove, the software services may be of a UCaaS platform. For example,the application server 108 can implement all or a portion of a UCaaSplatform, for example, including conferencing software, messagingsoftware, and/or other intra-party or inter-party communicationssoftware. The application server 108 may, for example, be or include aunitary Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

In some implementations, the application server 108 can include anapplication node, which can be a process executed on the applicationserver 108. For example, and without limitation, the application nodecan be executed in order to deliver software services to a client, suchas one of the clients 104A through 104D, as part of a softwareapplication. The application node can be implemented using processingthreads, virtual machine instantiations, or other computing features ofthe application server 108. In some such implementations, theapplication server 108 can include a suitable number of applicationnodes, depending upon a system load or other characteristics associatedwith the application server 108. For example, and without limitation,the application server 108 can include two or more nodes forming a nodecluster. In some such implementations, the application nodes implementedon a single application server 108 can run on different hardwareservers.

The database server 110 stores, manages, or otherwise provides data fordelivering software services of the application server 108 to a client,such as one of the clients 104A through 104D. In particular, thedatabase server 110 may implement one or more databases, tables, orother information sources suitable for use with a software applicationimplemented using the application server 108. The database server 110may include a data storage unit accessible by software executed on theapplication server 108. A database implemented by the database server110 may be a relational database management system (RDBMS), an objectdatabase, an XML database, a configuration management database (CMDB), amanagement information base (MIB), one or more flat files, othersuitable non-transient storage mechanisms, or a combination thereof. Thesystem 100 can include one or more database servers, in which eachdatabase server can include one, two, three, or another suitable numberof databases configured as or comprising a suitable database type orcombination thereof.

In some implementations, one or more databases, tables, other suitableinformation sources, or portions or combinations thereof may be stored,managed, or otherwise provided by one or more of the elements of thesystem 100 other than the database server 110, for example, the client104 or the application server 108.

The telephony server 112 enables network-based telephony and webcommunications from and to clients of a customer, such as the clients104A through 104B for the customer 102A or the clients 104C through 104Dfor the customer 102B. Some or all of the clients 104A through 104D maybe voice over Internet protocol (VOIP)-enabled devices configured tosend and receive calls over a network, for example, a network 114. Inparticular, the telephony server 112 includes a session initiationprotocol (SIP) zone and a web zone. The SIP zone enables a client of acustomer, such as the customer 102A or 102B, to send and receive callsover the network 114 using SIP requests and responses. The web zoneintegrates telephony data with the application server 108 to enabletelephony-based traffic access to software services run by theapplication server 108. Given the combined functionality of the SIP zoneand the web zone, the telephony server 112 may be or include acloud-based private branch exchange (PBX) system.

The SIP zone receives telephony traffic from a client of a customer anddirects same to a destination device. The SIP zone may include one ormore call switches for routing the telephony traffic. For example, toroute a VOIP call from a first VOIP-enabled client of a customer to asecond VOIP-enabled client of the same customer, the telephony server112 may initiate a SIP transaction between a first client and the secondclient using a PBX for the customer. However, in another example, toroute a VOIP call from a VOIP-enabled client of a customer to a clientor non-client device (e.g., a desktop phone which is not configured forVOIP communication) which is not VOIP-enabled, the telephony server 112may initiate a SIP transaction via a VOIP gateway that transmits the SIPsignal to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) system for outboundcommunication to the non-VOIP-enabled client or non-client phone. Hence,the telephony server 112 may include a PSTN system and may in some casesaccess an external PSTN system.

The telephony server 112 includes one or more session border controllers(SBCs) for interfacing the SIP zone with one or more aspects external tothe telephony server 112. In particular, an SBC can act as anintermediary to transmit and receive SIP requests and responses betweenclients or non-client devices of a given customer with clients ornon-client devices external to that customer. When incoming telephonytraffic for delivery to a client of a customer, such as one of theclients 104A through 104D, originating from outside the telephony server112 is received, a SBC receives the traffic and forwards it to a callswitch for routing to the client.

In some implementations, the telephony server 112, via the SIP zone, mayenable one or more forms of peering to a carrier or customer premise.For example, Internet peering to a customer premise may be enabled toease the migration of the customer from a legacy provider to a serviceprovider operating the telephony server 112. In another example, privatepeering to a customer premise may be enabled to leverage a privateconnection terminating at one end at the telephony server 112 and at theother at a computing aspect of the customer environment. In yet anotherexample, carrier peering may be enabled to leverage a connection of apeered carrier to the telephony server 112.

In some such implementations, a SBC or telephony gateway within thecustomer environment may operate as an intermediary between the SBC ofthe telephony server 112 and a PSTN for a peered carrier. When anexternal SBC is first registered with the telephony server 112, a callfrom a client can be routed through the SBC to a load balancer of theSIP zone, which directs the traffic to a call switch of the telephonyserver 112. Thereafter, the SBC may be configured to communicatedirectly with the call switch.

The web zone receives telephony traffic from a client of a customer, viathe SIP zone, and directs same to the application server 108 via one ormore Domain Name System (DNS) resolutions. For example, a first DNSwithin the web zone may process a request received via the SIP zone andthen deliver the processed request to a web service which connects to asecond DNS at or otherwise associated with the application server 108.Once the second DNS resolves the request, it is delivered to thedestination service at the application server 108. The web zone may alsoinclude a database for authenticating access to a software applicationfor telephony traffic processed within the SIP zone, for example, asoftphone.

The clients 104A through 104D communicate with the servers 108 through112 of the datacenter 106 via the network 114. The network 114 can be orinclude, for example, the Internet, a local area network (LAN), a widearea network (WAN), a virtual private network (VPN), or another publicor private means of electronic computer communication capable oftransferring data between a client and one or more servers. In someimplementations, a client can connect to the network 114 via a communalconnection point, link, or path, or using a distinct connection point,link, or path. For example, a connection point, link, or path can bewired, wireless, use other communications technologies, or a combinationthereof.

The network 114, the datacenter 106, or another element, or combinationof elements, of the system 100 can include network hardware such asrouters, switches, other network devices, or combinations thereof. Forexample, the datacenter 106 can include a load balancer 116 for routingtraffic from the network 114 to various servers associated with thedatacenter 106. The load balancer 116 can route, or direct, computingcommunications traffic, such as signals or messages, to respectiveelements of the datacenter 106.

For example, the load balancer 116 can operate as a proxy, or reverseproxy, for a service, such as a service provided to one or more remoteclients, such as one or more of the clients 104A through 104D, by theapplication server 108, the telephony server 112, and/or another server.Routing functions of the load balancer 116 can be configured directly orvia a DNS. The load balancer 116 can coordinate requests from remoteclients and can simplify client access by masking the internalconfiguration of the datacenter 106 from the remote clients.

In some implementations, the load balancer 116 can operate as afirewall, allowing or preventing communications based on configurationsettings. Although the load balancer 116 is depicted in FIG. 1 as beingwithin the datacenter 106, in some implementations, the load balancer116 can instead be located outside of the datacenter 106, for example,when providing global routing for multiple datacenters. In someimplementations, load balancers can be included both within and outsideof the datacenter 106. In some implementations, the load balancer 116can be omitted.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example internal configuration of acomputing device 200 of an electronic computing and communicationssystem, for example, a computing device which implements one or more ofthe client 104, the application server 108, the database server 110, orthe telephony server 112 of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1.

The computing device 200 includes components or units, such as aprocessor 202, a memory 204, a bus 206, a power source 208, peripherals210, a user interface 212, a network interface 214, other suitablecomponents, or a combination thereof. One or more of the memory 204, thepower source 208, the peripherals 210, the user interface 212, or thenetwork interface 214 can communicate with the processor 202 via the bus206.

The processor 202 is a central processing unit, such as amicroprocessor, and can include single or multiple processors havingsingle or multiple processing cores. Alternatively, the processor 202can include another type of device, or multiple devices, now existing orhereafter developed, configured for manipulating or processinginformation. For example, the processor 202 can include multipleprocessors interconnected in one or more manners, including hardwired ornetworked, including wirelessly networked. For example, the operationsof the processor 202 can be distributed across multiple devices or unitsthat can be coupled directly or across a local area or other suitabletype of network. The processor 202 can include a cache, or cache memory,for local storage of operating data or instructions.

The memory 204 includes one or more memory components, which may each bevolatile memory or non-volatile memory. For example, the volatile memoryof the memory 204 can be random access memory (RAM) (e.g., a DRAMmodule, such as DDR SDRAM) or another form of volatile memory. Inanother example, the non-volatile memory of the memory 204 can be a diskdrive, a solid state drive, flash memory, phase-change memory, oranother form of non-volatile memory configured for persistent electronicinformation storage. The memory 204 may also include other types ofdevices, now existing or hereafter developed, configured for storingdata or instructions for processing by the processor 202. In someimplementations, the memory 204 can be distributed across multipledevices. For example, the memory 204 can include network-based memory ormemory in multiple clients or servers performing the operations of thosemultiple devices.

The memory 204 can include data for immediate access by the processor202. For example, the memory 204 can include executable instructions216, application data 218, and an operating system 220. The executableinstructions 216 can include one or more application programs, which canbe loaded or copied, in whole or in part, from non-volatile memory tovolatile memory to be executed by the processor 202. For example, theexecutable instructions 216 can include instructions for performing someor all of the techniques of this disclosure. The application data 218can include user data, database data (e.g., database catalogs ordictionaries), or the like. In some implementations, the applicationdata 218 can include functional programs, such as a web browser, a webserver, a database server, another program, or a combination thereof.The operating system 220 can be, for example, Microsoft Windows®, Mac OSX®, or Linux®; an operating system for a mobile device, such as asmartphone or tablet device; or an operating system for a non-mobiledevice, such as a mainframe computer.

The power source 208 includes a source for providing power to thecomputing device 200. For example, the power source 208 can be aninterface to an external power distribution system. In another example,the power source 208 can be a battery, such as where the computingdevice 200 is a mobile device or is otherwise configured to operateindependently of an external power distribution system. In someimplementations, the computing device 200 may include or otherwise usemultiple power sources. In some such implementations, the power source208 can be a backup battery.

The peripherals 210 includes one or more sensors, detectors, or otherdevices configured for monitoring the computing device 200 or theenvironment around the computing device 200. For example, theperipherals 210 can include a geolocation component, such as a globalpositioning system location unit. In another example, the peripheralscan include a temperature sensor for measuring temperatures ofcomponents of the computing device 200, such as the processor 202. Insome implementations, the computing device 200 can omit the peripherals210.

The user interface 212 includes one or more input interfaces and/oroutput interfaces. An input interface may, for example, be a positionalinput device, such as a mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, or the like; akeyboard; or another suitable human or machine interface device. Anoutput interface may, for example, be a display, such as a liquidcrystal display, a cathode-ray tube, a light emitting diode display, orother suitable display.

The network interface 214 provides a connection or link to a network(e.g., the network 114 shown in FIG. 1). The network interface 214 canbe a wired network interface or a wireless network interface. Thecomputing device 200 can communicate with other devices via the networkinterface 214 using one or more network protocols, such as usingEthernet, transmission control protocol (TCP), internet protocol (IP),power line communication, an IEEE 802.X protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc.), infrared, visible light, general packet radioservice (GPRS), global system for mobile communications (GSM),code-division multiple access (CDMA), Z-Wave, another protocol, or acombination thereof.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of a software platform 300implemented by an electronic computing and communications system, forexample, the system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The software platform 300 is aUCaaS platform accessible by clients of a customer of a UCaaS platformprovider, for example, the clients 104A through 104B of the customer102A or the clients 104C through 104D of the customer 102B shown inFIG. 1. For example, the software platform 300 may be a multi-tenantplatform instantiated using one or more servers at one or moredatacenters including, for example, the application server 108, thedatabase server 110, and the telephony server 112 of the datacenter 106shown in FIG. 1.

The software platform 300 includes software services accessible usingone or more clients. For example, a customer 302, which may, forexample, be the customer 102A, the customer 102B, or another customer,as shown includes four clients—a desk phone 304, a computer 306, amobile device 308, and a shared device 310. The desk phone 304 is adesktop unit configured to at least send and receive calls and includesan input device for receiving a telephone number or extension to dial toand an output device for outputting audio and/or video for a call inprogress. The computer 306 is a desktop, laptop, or tablet computerincluding an input device for receiving some form of user input and anoutput device for outputting information in an audio and/or visualformat. The mobile device 308 is a smartphone, wearable device, or othermobile computing aspect including an input device for receiving someform of user input and an output device for outputting information in anaudio and/or visual format. The desk phone 304, the computer 306, andthe mobile device 308 may generally be considered personal devicesconfigured for use by a single user. The shared device 310 is a deskphone, a computer, a mobile device, or a different device which mayinstead be configured for use by multiple specified or unspecifiedusers.

Each of the clients 304 through 310 includes or runs on a computingdevice configured to access at least a portion of the software platform300. In some implementations, the customer 302 may include additionalclients not shown. For example, the customer 302 may include multipleclients of one or more client types (e.g., multiple desk phones,multiple computers, etc.) and/or one or more clients of a client typenot shown in FIG. 3 (e.g., wearable devices, televisions other than asshared devices, or the like). For example, the customer 302 may havetens or hundreds of desk phones, computers, mobile devices, and/orshared devices.

The software services of the software platform 300 generally relate tocommunications tools, but are in no way limited in scope. As shown, thesoftware services of the software platform 300 include telephonysoftware 312, conferencing software 314, messaging software 316, andother software 318. Some or all of the software 312 through 318 usescustomer configurations 320 specific to the customer 302. The customerconfigurations 320 may, for example, be data stored within a database orother data store at a database server, such as the database server 110shown in FIG. 1.

The telephony software 312 enables telephony traffic between ones of theclients 304 through 310 and other telephony-enabled devices, which maybe other ones of the clients 304 through 310, other VOIP-enabled clientsof the customer 302, non-VOIP-enabled devices of the customer 302,VOIP-enabled clients of another customer, non-VOIP-enabled devices ofanother customer, or other VOIP-enabled clients or non-VOIP-enableddevices. Calls sent or received using the telephony software 312 may,for example, be sent or received using the desk phone 304, a softphonerunning on the computer 306, a mobile application running on the mobiledevice 308, or using the shared device 310 where same includes telephonyfeatures.

The telephony software 312 further enables phones which do not include aclient application to connect to other software services of the softwareplatform 300. For example, the telephony software 312 may receive andprocess calls from phones not associated with the customer 302 to routethat telephony traffic to one or more of the conferencing software 314,the messaging software 316, or the other software 318.

The conferencing software 314 enables audio, video, and/or other formsof conferences between multiple participants, such as to facilitate aconference between those participants. In some cases, the participantsmay all be physically present within a single location, for example, aconference room, in which the conferencing software 314 may facilitate aconference between only those participants and using one or more clientswithin the conference room. In some cases, one or more participants maybe physically present within a single location and one or more otherparticipants may be remote, in which the conferencing software 314 mayfacilitate a conference between all of those participants using one ormore clients within the conference room and one or more remote clients.In some cases, the participants may all be remote, in which theconferencing software 314 may facilitate a conference between theparticipants using different clients for the participants. Theconferencing software 314 can include functionality for hosting,presenting scheduling, joining, or otherwise participating in aconference. The conferencing software 314 may further includefunctionality for recording some or all of a conference and/ordocumenting a transcript for the conference.

The messaging software 316 enables instant messaging, unified messaging,and other types of messaging communications between multiple devices,such as to facilitate a chat or like virtual conversation between usersof those devices. The unified messaging functionality of the messagingsoftware 316 may, for example, refer to email messaging which includesvoicemail transcription service delivered in email format.

The other software 318 enables other functionality of the softwareplatform 300. Examples of the other software 318 include, but are notlimited to, device management software, resource provisioning anddeployment software, administrative software, third party integrationsoftware, and the like. In one particular example, the other software318 can include software configured to transcribe, in real-time, anaudio stream of a call from a destination to determine visual IVR menuoptions and to transmit visualizations of the IVR menu options fordisplay at a client device or other associated device.

The software 312 through 318 may be implemented using one or moreservers, for example, of a datacenter such as the datacenter 106 shownin FIG. 1. For example, one or more of the software 312 through 318 maybe implemented using an application server, a database server, and/or atelephony server, such as the servers 108 through 112 shown in FIG. 1.In another example, one or more of the software 312 through 318 may beimplemented using servers not shown in FIG. 1, for example, a meetingserver, a web server, or another server. In yet another example, one ormore of the software 312 through 318 may be implemented using one ormore of the servers 108 through 112 and one or more other servers. Thesoftware 312 through 318 may be implemented by different servers or bythe same server.

Features of the software services of the software platform 300 may beintegrated with one another to provide a unified experience for users.For example, the messaging software 316 may include a user interfaceelement configured to initiate a call with another user of the customer302. In another example, the telephony software 312 may includefunctionality for elevating a telephone call to a conference. In yetanother example, the conferencing software 314 may include functionalityfor sending and receiving instant messages between participants and/orother users of the customer 302. In yet another example, theconferencing software 314 may include functionality for file sharingbetween participants and/or other users of the customer 302. In someimplementations, some or all of the software 312 through 318 may becombined into a single software application run on clients of thecustomer, such as one or more of the clients 304-310.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system 400 to display IVR menu options.In the system 400, a client device 402 communicates with a telephonysystem 404. An operator of the client device 402 may place a callthrough the telephony system 404 to connect the client device 402 to adestination 406. In some implementations, the destination 406 has anassociated IVR system. The IVR system sends an audio stream includingthe IVR menu options from the destination 406 to the telephony system404. An ASR processing tool 408 performs real-time speech recognitionprocessing on the audio stream to identify the IVR menu options. In someimplementations, the ASR processing tool 408 is a component of thetelephony system 404 and is contained within the telephony system 404.In some implementations, the ASR processing tool 408 is a separatecomponent in communication with the telephony system 404. The operationof the system 400 does not change based on the location of the ASRprocessing tool 408.

The identified IVR menu options are sent from the ASR processing tool408 to a visualization output generation tool 410. The visualizationoutput generation tool 410 creates a visualization representative ofeach identified IVR menu option. The visualization may include a visualprompt, text, a text box, an image including the text, or another visualindication of the content of the identified IVR menu options. Thevisualization of the IVR menu option is sent from the visualizationoutput generation tool 410 to the telephony system 404. The telephonysystem 404 then sends the visualization to the client device 402 fordisplay on the client device 402. In some implementations, thevisualization output generation tool 410 sends the visualizationdirectly to the client device 402. In some implementations, thevisualization output generation tool 410 is a component of the telephonysystem 404 and is contained within the telephony system 404. In someimplementations, the visualization output generation tool 410 is aseparate component in communication with the ASR processing tool 408 andthe telephony system 404. The operation of the system 400 does notchange based on the location of the visualization output generation tool410.

The client device 402 is configured to output all of the IVR menuoptions. In some implementations, where a number of the visualizationsgenerated based on the IVR menu options exceeds a maximum number ofvisualizations which can be displayed at one time, such as based on asize of the visualizations, a scrollable user interface element may beused at the client device 402 to enable an operator of the client device402 to browse through all of the visualizations. In someimplementations, dimensions of the visualizations displayed at theclient device 402 may be scaled at the client device 402 according to anumber of the visualizations generated by the visualization outputgeneration tool 410. For example, in one case, an IVR menu includes twoor three IVR menu options and thus two or three visualizations aregenerated, in which those two or three visualizations may each berepresented using a first size. In another case, an IVR menu includeseight or nine IVR menu options and thus eight or nine visualizations aregenerated, in which those eight or nine visualizations may each berepresented using a second size. Because there are more visualizationsto display at once in the latter case, the second size is smaller thanthe first size. In some implementations, and regardless of whether thevisualizations are scaled or browsed using a scrollable user interfaceelement, the visualizations generated for a set of IVR menu options maybe displayed in various sizes. For example, a first visualization of afirst IVR menu option may be visually represented in a first size and asecond visualization of a second IVR menu option may be visuallyrepresented in a second size different from the first size.

In some implementations, after one IVR menu option has been identifiedfrom the audio stream by the ASR processing tool 408, the identified IVRmenu option is sent to the visualization output generation tool 410. Insome implementations, more than one or all of the IVR menu options areidentified from the audio stream by the ASR processing tool 408 beforebeing sent to the visualization output generation tool 410.

In some implementations, the system 400 may be in communication with anexternal telephony system 412, which can communicate with the clientdevice 402 via the telephony system 404. The external telephony system412 can connect a caller using the client device 402 to a destination414. The destination 414 has an associated external IVR system. In thisimplementation, the external IVR system sends an audio stream includingthe IVR menu options from the destination 414 to the external telephonysystem 412. The external telephony system 412 routes the audio stream tothe telephony system 404 and the audio stream is processed in a similarmanner as described above for the audio stream from the IVR systemassociated with the destination 406 to identify the IVR menu options andto generate visualizations of the IVR menu options to be output fordisplay at the client device 402.

In some implementations, the system 400 can include a translation toolintermediate to the which translates the ASR processing tool 408 and thevisualization output generation tool 410. For example, the translationtool can include functionality, implemented using a machine learningmodel, a translation service native to the software platform whichimplements the system 400, or a translation service external to thesoftware platform, for translating the IVR menu options identified bythe ASR processing tool 408 from a first language in which the IVR menuoptions are identified to a second language in which to outputvisualizations of those IVR menu options, such as at the client device402. The translated IVR menu options may then be processed using thevisualization output generation tool 410 to generate visualizations ofthose IVR menu options in the second language.

FIG. 5A is a flow diagram of a system 500 to display interactive voiceresponse menu options. The system 500 includes a client device 502, atelephony system 504, and a destination 506, which may, for example, bethe client device 402, the telephony system 404, and the destination 406shown in FIG. 4. An operator of the client device 502 places a call(operation 508). The telephony system 504 receives the call from theclient device 502 and routes the call to the destination 506 (operation510). The destination 506 sends an audio stream including the IVR menuoptions to the telephony system 504 (operation 512). The telephonysystem 504 performs ASR processing to create the visual prompts for theIVR menu options from the audio stream and routes both the audio streamand the visual prompts for the IVR menu options to the client device 502(operation 514). In some cases, the visualizations are sent to theclient device 502 one at a time as they are identified by the ASRprocessing. In other cases, the visualizations are sent to the clientdevice 502 as a group, which may be determined by the end of ASRprocessing. In some instances, the end of ASR processing may bedetermined by a threshold period of silence elapsing during processing.

In some implementations, each visual prompt for an IVR menu optionincludes text, a text box, an image including the text, or othervisualization of the content of the identified IVR menu option. In someimplementations, the telephony system 504 stores the visual prompts forthe IVR menu options, to resend the IVR menu options to the clientdevice 502 during the current call if requested by the client device orto send the IVR menu options to the client device 502 or a differentclient device for a separate call placed to the same destination 506.

In some implementations, before the IVR menu options are sent to theclient device 502, a determination is made of the capabilities of theclient device 502. For example, a determination may be made whether theclient device 502 can display the visualizations of the IVR menu optionsor whether the client device 502 is capable of displaying a video. In asituation where the client device 502 cannot display the visualizations,the telephony system 504 may identify another device associated with thecaller and that is known to the telephony system 504 to be able todisplay the visualizations. This identification and association may bebased on matching operator name information or other informationassociated with the client device 502. In such a case, thevisualizations are output for display at the other device instead of atthe client device 502. In a situation where the client device 502 candisplay a video, the output to the client device 502 may be in videoform if such video form was generated based on the identified IVR menuoptions.

After the visualizations have been output to the display of the clientdevice 502, an operator of the client device 502 selects one of the menuoptions. The menu selection is transmitted from the client device 502 tothe telephony system 504 (operation 516) and transmitted from thetelephony system 504 to the destination 506 (operation 518).

FIG. 5B is a flow diagram of an alternate system 520 to display IVR menuoptions. The system 520 includes a client device 522, a telephony system524, an external telephony system 526, and a destination 528, which may,for example, be the client device 402, the telephony system 404, theexternal telephony system 412, and the destination 414 shown in FIG. 4.An operator of the client device 522 places a call (operation 530). Thetelephony system 524 receives the call from the client device 522 androutes the call to the external telephony system 526 (operation 532).The external telephony system 526 routes the call to the destination 528(operation 534).

The destination 528 sends an audio stream including the IVR menu optionsto the external telephony system 526 (operation 536). The externaltelephony system 526 routes the audio stream to the telephony system 524(operation 538). The telephony system 524 performs ASR processing tocreate the visual prompts for the IVR menu options from the audio streamand routes both the audio stream and the visual prompts for the IVR menuoptions to the client device 522 (operation 540). In some cases, thevisualizations are sent to the client device 522 one at a time as theyare identified by the ASR processing. In other cases, the visualizationsare sent to the client device 522 as a group, which may be determined bythe end of ASR processing. In some instances, the end of ASR processingmay be determined by a threshold period of silence elapsing duringprocessing.

In some implementations, each visual prompt for an IVR menu optionincludes text, a text box, an image including the text, or othervisualization of the content of the identified IVR menu option. In someimplementations, the telephony system 524 stores the visual prompts forthe IVR menu options, to resend the IVR menu options to the clientdevice 522 during the current call or to send the IVR menu options tothe client device 522 or a different client device for a separate callplaced to the same destination 528.

In some implementations, before the IVR menu options are sent to theclient device 522, a determination is made of the capabilities of theclient device 522. For example, a determination may be made whether theclient device 522 can display the visualizations of the IVR menu optionsor whether the client device 522 is capable of displaying a video. In asituation where the client device 522 cannot display the visualizations,the telephony system 524 may identify another device associated with thecaller and that is known to the telephony system 524 to be able todisplay the visualizations. This identification and association may bebased on matching operator name information or other informationassociated with the client device 522. In such a case, thevisualizations are output for display at the other device instead of atthe client device 522. In a situation where the client device 522 candisplay a video, the output to the client device 522 may be in videoform if such video form was generated based on the identified IVR menuoptions.

After the visualizations have been output to the display of the clientdevice 522, an operator of the client device 522 selects one of the menuoptions. The menu selection is transmitted from the client device 522 tothe telephony system 524 (operation 542), transmitted from the telephonysystem 524 to the external telephony system 526 (operation 544), andtransmitted from the external telephony system 526 to the destination528 (operation 546).

FIG. 5C is a flow diagram of another alternate system 550 to display IVRmenu options. The system 550 includes a client device 552, a telephonysystem 554, an external telephony system 556, and a destination 558,which may, for example, be the client device 402, the telephony system404, the external telephony system 412, and the destination 414 shown inFIG. 4. An operator of the client device 552 places a call (operation560). The telephony system 554 receives the call from the client device552 and routes the call to the external telephony system 556 (operation562). The external telephony system 556 routes the call to thedestination 558 (operation 564).

The destination 558 sends an audio stream including the IVR menu optionsto the external telephony system 556 (operation 566). The externaltelephony system 556 routes the audio stream to the client device 552(operation 568). The client device 552 routes the audio stream to thetelephony system 554 (operation 570). The telephony system 554 performsASR processing to create the visual prompts for the IVR menu optionsfrom the audio stream and routes the visual prompts for the IVR menuoptions to the client device 552 (operation 572). In some cases, thevisualizations are sent to the client device 552 one at a time as theyare identified by the ASR processing. In other cases, the visualizationsare sent to the client device 552 as a group, which may be determined bythe end of ASR processing. In some instances, the end of ASR processingmay be determined by a threshold period of silence elapsing duringprocessing.

In some implementations, each visual prompt for an IVR menu optionincludes text, a text box, an image including the text, or othervisualization of the content of the identified IVR menu option. In someimplementations, the telephony system 554 stores the visual prompts forthe IVR menu options, to resend the IVR menu options to the clientdevice 552 during the current call or to send the IVR menu options tothe client device 552 or a different client device for a separate callplaced to the same destination 558.

In some implementations, before the IVR menu options are sent to theclient device 552, a determination is made of the capabilities of theclient device 552. For example, a determination may be made whether theclient device 552 can display the visualizations of the IVR menu optionsor whether the client device 552 is capable of displaying a video. In asituation where the client device 552 cannot display the visualizations,the telephony system 554 may identify another device associated with thecaller and that is known to the telephony system 554 to be able todisplay the visualizations. This identification and association may bebased on matching operator name information or other informationassociated with the client device 552. In such a case, thevisualizations are output for display at the other device instead of atthe client device 552. In a situation where the client device 552 candisplay a video, the output to the client device 552 may be in videoform if such video form was generated based on the identified IVR menuoptions.

After the visualizations have been output to the display of the clientdevice 552, an operator of the client device 552 selects one of the menuoptions. The menu selection is transmitted from the client device 552 tothe external telephony system 556 (operation 574) and transmitted fromthe external telephony system 556 to the destination 558 (operation576). In some implementations, the menu selection is transmitted fromthe client device 552 to the telephony system 554, transmitted from thetelephony system 554 to the external telephony system 556, andtransmitted from the external telephony system 556 to the destination558.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a technique 600 performed by a telephony systemfor receiving an audio stream and displaying IVR menu options. Thetechnique 600 may, for example, be performed by the telephony system 504of FIG. 5A or by the telephony system 524 of FIG. 5B. The telephonysystem receives a call from a client device (operation 602). Thetelephony system connects the call to a destination (operation 604). Inthe implementation shown in FIG. 5A, the telephony system 504 connectsthe call directly to the destination 506. In the implementation shown inFIG. 5B, the telephony system 524 connects the call to the destination528 by routing the call through the external telephony system 526 to thedestination 528.

A determination is made whether the audio stream received by thetelephony system from the destination includes any IVR menu options(operation 606). If the audio stream does not include any IVR menuoptions (operation 606, “no” branch), the telephony system routes theaudio stream to the client device to proceed with the call (operation608).

If the audio stream includes IVR menu options (operation 606, “yes”branch), the telephony system transcribes the first IVR menu option viaASR processing (operation 610). The telephony system generates and sendsa visual prompt corresponding to the transcribed IVR menu option to theclient device (operation 612). If there are no more IVR menu options(operation 614, “no” branch), then the operator of the client device canproceed with the call (operation 608). If there are more IVR menuoptions (operation 614, “yes” branch), then the next IVR menu option isselected (operation 616) and the selected IVR menu option is transcribed(operation 610) as described above. In some implementations, thetelephony system waits until all IVR menu options have been identifiedbefore outputting any of the identified IVR menu options for display onthe client device.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a technique 700 performed by a client devicefor receiving IVR menu options. The technique 700 may, for example, beperformed by the client device 502 of FIG. 5A or the client device 522of FIG. 5B. An operator of the client device places a call to adestination from the client device (operation 702).

After the call has been connected to the destination, the client devicereceives, from the destination via a telephony system intermediate tothe client device and the destination, an audio stream for the first IVRmenu option and a corresponding visual prompt for the IVR menu optionfor display (operation 704). In some implementations, the visual promptfor the IVR menu option is displayed on the client device that placedthe call. For example, the visual prompt for the IVR menu option may bedisplayed in a same application, browser, system, or other window inwhich the call was placed. In some implementations, the visual promptfor the IVR menu option may be displayed on the client device in adifferent window than the one in which the call was placed. In someimplementations, if the client device does not include a display, thevisual prompt for the IVR menu option may be routed to a secondarydevice that is associated with the client device and includes a display;for example, to a web browser or other application running on thesecondary device.

In some implementations, the visual prompt for the IVR menu option isdisplayed as a block of text on the display. In some implementations,the visual prompt may include graphical embellishments to distinguishdifferent parts of the IVR menu option. For example, a number associatedwith the IVR menu option may be displayed in a different color, adifferent font size or style, or a different font from the substantivetext of the IVR menu option.

If there are more IVR menu options to be processed (operation 706, “yes”branch), then the client device receives an audio stream for the nextIVR menu option and the corresponding visual prompt for the next IVRmenu option for display (operation 708). If there are no more IVR menuoptions to be processed (operation 706, “no” branch), then the operatorof the client device selects a menu option, which is sent to thedestination (operation 710). In the implementation shown in FIG. 5A, theselected menu option is sent from the client device 502 to thedestination 506 via the telephony system 504. In the implementationshown in FIG. 5B, the selected menu option is sent from the clientdevice 522 to the destination 528 via the telephony system 524 and theexternal telephony system 526. The operator of the client device thenproceeds with the call (operation 712). In some implementations, theclient device may receive all of the visual prompts for all of the IVRmenu options at once.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an alternate technique 800 performed by atelephony system for receiving an audio stream and displaying IVR menuoptions. The technique 800 may, for example, be performed by thetelephony system 554 of FIG. 5C. The telephony system receives a callfrom a client device (operation 802). The telephony system connects thecall to a destination (operation 804). In the implementation shown inFIG. 5C, the telephony system 554 connects the call to the destination558 by routing the call through the external telephony system 556 to thedestination 558.

The telephony system receives an audio stream from the client device(operation 806). In the implementation shown in FIG. 5C, the destination558 routes the audio stream to the external telephony system 556, whichroutes the audio stream to the client device 552.

Next, a determination is made whether the audio stream received by thetelephony system from the destination includes any IVR menu options(operation 808). If the audio stream does not include any IVR menuoptions (operation 808, “no” branch), the operator of the client deviceproceeds with the call (operation 810).

If the audio stream includes IVR menu options (operation 808, “yes”branch), the telephony system transcribes the first IVR menu option viaASR processing (operation 812). The telephony system sends a visualprompt corresponding to the transcribed IVR menu option to the clientdevice (operation 814). If there are no more IVR menu options (operation816, “no” branch), then the operator of the client device can proceedwith the call (operation 810). If there are more IVR menu options(operation 816, “yes” branch), then the next IVR menu option is selected(operation 818) and the selected IVR menu option is transcribed(operation 812) as described above. In some implementations, thetelephony system waits until all IVR menu options have been identifiedbefore outputting any of the identified IVR menu options for display onthe client device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an alternate technique 900 performed by aclient device for receiving IVR menu options. The technique 900 may, forexample, be performed by the client device 552 of FIG. 5C. An operatorof the client device places a call to a destination (operation 902).

After the call has been connected to a destination, the client devicereceives, from the destination via a telephony system through which thecall is routed from an external telephony system intermediate to thetelephony system and the destination, an audio stream (operation 904).The client device sends the audio stream to the telephony system for ASRprocessing (operation 906). The client device receives a visual promptfor the first IVR menu option for display (operation 908). In someimplementations, the visual prompt for the IVR menu option is displayedon the client device that placed the call. For example, the visualprompt for the IVR menu option may be displayed in a same application,browser, system, or other window in which the call was placed. In someimplementations, the visual prompt for the IVR menu option may bedisplayed on the client device in a different window than the one inwhich the call was placed. In some implementations, if the client devicedoes not include a display, the visual prompt for the IVR menu optionmay be routed to a secondary device that is associated with the clientdevice and includes a display; for example, to a web browser or otherapplication running on the secondary device.

In some implementations, the visual prompt for the IVR menu option isdisplayed as a block of text on the display. In some implementations,the visual prompt may include graphical embellishments to distinguishdifferent parts of the IVR menu option. For example, a number associatedwith the IVR menu option may be displayed in a different color, adifferent font size or style, or a different font from the substantivetext of the IVR menu option.

If there are more IVR menu options to be processed (operation 910, “yes”branch), then the client device receives the visual prompt for the nextIVR menu option for display (operation 912). If there are no more IVRmenu options to be processed (operation 910, “no” branch), then theoperator of the client device selects a menu option, which is sent tothe destination (operation 914). In the implementation shown in FIG. 5C,the selected menu option is sent from the client device 552 to thedestination 558 via the telephony system 554 and the external telephonysystem 556. The operator of the client device then proceeds with thecall (operation 916). In some implementations, the client device mayreceive all of the visual prompts for all of the IVR menu options atonce.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example of a technique 1000 for displayingvisual IVR menu options on a client device. The technique 1000 can beexecuted using computing devices, such as the systems, hardware, andsoftware described with respect to FIGS. 1-9. The technique 1000 can beperformed, for example, by executing a machine-readable program or othercomputer-executable instructions, such as routines, instructions,programs, or other code. The steps or operations of the technique 1000or another technique, method, process, or algorithm described inconnection with the implementations disclosed herein can be implementeddirectly in hardware, firmware, software executed by hardware,circuitry, or a combination thereof.

For simplicity of explanation, the technique 1000 is depicted anddescribed herein as a series of steps or operations. However, the stepsor operations in accordance with this disclosure can occur in variousorders and/or concurrently. Additionally, other steps or operations notpresented and described herein may be used. Furthermore, not allillustrated steps or operations may be required to implement a techniquein accordance with the disclosed subject matter.

At operation 1002, a call from a client device is connected to adestination having an IVR service. At operation 1004, audio from thedestination is transcribed to identify menu options of the IVR service.At operation 1006, visualizations representing the menu options of theIVR service are generated. At operation 1008, the visualizations areoutput to a display associated with the client device that placed thecall.

The implementations of this disclosure can be described in terms offunctional block components and various processing operations. Suchfunctional block components can be realized by a number of hardware orsoftware components that perform the specified functions. For example,the disclosed implementations can employ various integrated circuitcomponents (e.g., memory elements, processing elements, logic elements,look-up tables, and the like), which can carry out a variety offunctions under the control of one or more microprocessors or othercontrol devices. Similarly, where the elements of the disclosedimplementations are implemented using software programming or softwareelements, the systems and techniques can be implemented with aprogramming or scripting language, such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript,assembler, or the like, with the various algorithms being implementedwith a combination of data structures, objects, processes, routines, orother programming elements.

Functional aspects can be implemented in algorithms that execute on oneor more processors. Furthermore, the implementations of the systems andtechniques disclosed herein could employ a number of conventionaltechniques for electronics configuration, signal processing or control,data processing, and the like. The words “mechanism” and “component” areused broadly and are not limited to mechanical or physicalimplementations, but can include software routines in conjunction withprocessors, etc. Likewise, the terms “system” or “tool” as used hereinand in the figures, but in any event based on their context, may beunderstood as corresponding to a functional unit implemented usingsoftware, hardware (e.g., an integrated circuit, such as an ASIC), or acombination of software and hardware. In certain contexts, such systemsor mechanisms may be understood to be a processor-implemented softwaresystem or processor-implemented software mechanism that is part of orcallable by an executable program, which may itself be wholly or partlycomposed of such linked systems or mechanisms.

Implementations or portions of implementations of the above disclosurecan take the form of a computer program product accessible from, forexample, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium. Acomputer-usable or computer-readable medium can be a device that can,for example, tangibly contain, store, communicate, or transport aprogram or data structure for use by or in connection with a processor.The medium can be, for example, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, or semiconductor device.

Other suitable mediums are also available. Such computer-usable orcomputer-readable media can be referred to as non-transitory memory ormedia, and can include volatile memory or non-volatile memory that canchange over time. A memory of an apparatus described herein, unlessotherwise specified, does not have to be physically contained by theapparatus, but is one that can be accessed remotely by the apparatus,and does not have to be contiguous with other memory that might bephysically contained by the apparatus.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with certainimplementations, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to belimited to the disclosed implementations but, on the contrary, isintended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangementsincluded within the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to beaccorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all suchmodifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.

1. A method, comprising: connecting, by a telephony system intermediateto a client device and a destination device associated with aninteractive voice response service, a call from the client device to thedestination device; transcribing, by the telephony system, audio fromthe destination device during the call to identify menu options of acurrent menu of the interactive voice response service; generating, bythe telephony system, visualizations representative of and limited tothe menu options during the call; and outputting, by the telephonysystem, the visualizations to a display associated with the clientdevice during the call.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein connecting thecall includes routing the call through the telephony system and causingthe call to be further routed through an external telephony system. 3.The method of claim 1, wherein transcribing the audio from thedestination device to identify the menu options of the interactive voiceresponse service comprises: using natural language processing totranscribe the audio from the destination device during the call inreal-time.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein: connecting the callincludes routing the call through the telephony system; and thetranscribing is performed by the telephony system.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a first visualization of the visualizations isgenerated based on a first menu option of the menu options and is outputto the display before a second menu option of the menu options isidentified.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein all visualizations basedon the menu options are generated before any one visualization is outputto the display.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, by the telephony system, a selection of one of thevisualizations to the destination device responsive to receiving theselection from the client device.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein thedisplay is a display of a secondary device associated with the clientdevice.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization includes atleast one of text, a text box, or an image including text correspondingto the menu options.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein thevisualization includes a video with visualizations for all of the menuoptions.
 11. A system, comprising: a telephony system configured toconnect a call from a client device to a destination device associatedwith an interactive voice response service and to output visualizationsrepresenting menu options of the interactive voice response service to adisplay associated with the client device, wherein the telephony systemis intermediate to the client device and the destination device; anautomatic speech recognition processing tool configured to transcribeaudio from the destination device during the call to identify the menuoptions; and a visualization output generation tool configured togenerate the visualizations representing the menu options during thecall.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the automatic speechrecognition processing tool is configured to use natural languageprocessing to transcribe the audio from the destination device duringthe call in real-time.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the telephonysystem includes at least one of the automatic speech recognitionprocessing tool or the visualization output generation tool.
 14. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the telephony system is configured to:receive a first visualization of the visualizations based on a firstmenu option of the menu options from the visualization output generationtool; and output the first visualization to the display before a secondvisualization of the visualizations is generated by the visualizationoutput generation tool.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein thevisualization output generation tool is configured to generate allvisualizations based on the menu options before any one visualization isoutput to the display.
 16. An apparatus, comprising: a memory; and aprocessor configured to execute instructions stored in the memory to:connect a call from a remote client device to a remote destinationdevice associated with an interactive voice response service; routeaudio associated with menu options of a current menu of the interactivevoice response service from the remote destination device during thecall to a first tool configured to transcribe audio from the remotedestination device; receive visualizations representing and limited tothe menu options of the current menu from a second tool configured togenerate the visualizations; and output the visualizations to a displayassociated with the remote client device.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16,wherein the first tool is configured to transcribe the audio from theremote destination device during the call in real-time using naturallanguage processing.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein theprocessor is further configured to execute the instructions stored inthe memory to: receive a first visualization of the visualizations basedon a first menu option of the menu options from the second tool; andoutput the first visualization to the display before a secondvisualization of the visualizations is received from the second tool.19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second tool is configured togenerate all visualizations based on the menu options before any onevisualization is output to the display.
 20. The apparatus of claim 16,wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructionsstored in the memory to: transmit a selection of one of thevisualizations to the remote destination device responsive to receivingthe selection from the remote client device.